PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Sciences

FUNDAMENTAL OF
ELECTRONICS

BASIC
ELECTRICAL
QUANTITIES AND
RELATED
CONCEPTS

Module 1
 Table of Contents

Content Page

Table of Contents ………………………………………………....…1

Learning Objectives …….…………………………………………...2
Initial Activity …………………….……………………..…............…3
Overview …………………………………….................………..….4
Discussion…….……………………………….…................….……5
SI units …………………….……..…….….…………5
Derived units …………………………………………6
Static Electricity vs. Current Electricity…..……...…7
Law of Conservation of Electric Charge.................8
Coloumb’s Law……………………………………….9
Charge………………………………………………..11
Force………………………………………………….12
Power…………………………………………………13
Learning Check…….………………………………….………….…14
Evaluation…….…….………………………………….………….…15
Reflection……………………………………………….………….…17 2
References…….……………………………………….………….…18

Page #1
 Learning Objectives

After going through in this module, you should be able to:

 LO1 Perform conversion of units.

 LO2 Solve problem involving charge, force, power, work, and

Coulombs law.

 L03 Demonstrate the concept of static electricity and current.

Page #2
 Initial Activity

Go around your house and look for some appliances. Examine the labels on
your household appliances. Did you find these symbols- W, A, V? What do these
symbols mean? (NOTE! Be careful while searching for the appliance label. You
might get electrocuted.)

Sample appliance label. Photo taken from Google image

Page #3
 Overview

Welcome to Fundamentals of Electronics!

Modern life relies on electronics. You couldn't be reading this material

unless you are using electronics and electronic devices and you could not attend
your synchronous class as well. Without electronics and electronic devices, all the
technology you are enjoying right now would not be available. While it may seem
intimidating and challenging, learning electronics is fun, easy, and fundamental to
your program.

This learning material is an introductory lesson about the course. It

covers basic concepts necessary for the study of electronics. In the first lesson, you
will recall the fundamental and derived units. It will then be followed by the concept
of static and current electricity. Lastly, this material will discuss the Coulumb’s law.

At the end of this course, you should have an understanding of the

basic electrical quantities and other related concepts herewith.

I hope you will enjoy it!

Page #4
 Discussion

SI UNITS

The Système Internationale d'Unités (International Systems of Units)

is a system of units used in engineering and science, usually abbreviated to SI
units, and is based on a metric system. This was introduced in 1960 and is now
adopted as the official measurement system by the majority of countries.

Below are the Fundamental units in the SI system with their symbols:

Quantity Unit

Length Meter, m

Mass Kilogram, kg

Time Second, s

Electric current Ampere, A

Thermodynamic temperature kelvin, K

Luminous intensity Candela, cd

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Amount of substance Mole,mol

Page #5
 Discussion

DERIVED SI UNITS

Derived SI units use combinations of basic units and there are

many of them. Two examples are:

Velocity – meters per second (m/s)

Acceleration – meters per second squared (m/s2)

SI units may be made larger or smaller by using prefixes which denote

multiplication or division by a particular amount. The six most common multiples,
with their meaning, are listed below:

Prefix Name Meaning

M Mega multiply by 1 000 000 (i.e.×106)

k Kilo multiply by 1000 (i.e. ×103)

m milli divide by 1000 (i.e. ×10−3)

μ micro divide by 1 000 000 (i.e. ×10−6) 7

n nano divide by 1 000 000 000 (i.e. ×10−9)

p pico divide by 1 000 000 000 000 (i.e. ×10−12)

Page #6
 Discussion
Static vs. Current Electricity

We may associate the word “electricity” to complex modern technology:

lights, motors, electronics, and computers. But it plays an even deeper role in our
lives. Electric force, according to atomic theory, holds atoms and molecules together
to form liquids and solids. It is also involved in the metabolic processes that occur
within our bodies. Forces such as the normal force, friction and contact forces, are
now considered to result from electronic forces acting at the atomic level. Static and
current are the two types of electricity.

Static Electricity

Now we will discuss the development of ideas about electricity. The

word electricity comes from the Greek word elektron, which means “amber.” Amber is
petrified tree resin, and the ancients knew that if you rub a piece of amber with a
cloth, the amber attracts small pieces of leaves or dust. A piece of hard rubber, a
glass rod, or a plastic ruler rubbed with a cloth will also display this “amber effect,” or
static electricity as we call it today. You can readily pick up small pieces of paper
with a plastic comb or ruler that you have just vigorously rubbed with even a paper
towel.

(PICTURE)
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In this case, an object becomes “charged” as a result of rubbing, and is

said to possess a net electric charge.
There are two types of electric charge. Each type of charge repels the
same type but attracts the opposite type. That is: unlike charges attract; like
charges repel. The two types of electric charge were referred to as positive and
negative by the American statesman, philosopher, and scientist Benjamin Franklin
(1706–1790).
Page #7
 Discussion
Current Electricity

When an object builds up more of one type of charged particle it is said

to have a “static charge”. Static means not moving, such when you rubbed a ruler-
charge is present at its surface for a short period of time, the electrons are building
up and not flowing. But when charged particle flows rather than build up, it is called
electrical current. Current electricity, therefore, has two requirements; an energy
source and a complete path or circuit.
More precisely, the electric current in a wire is defined as the net
amount of charge that passes through the wire’s full cross section at any point per
unit time. Thus, the current I is defined as
∆𝑸
𝑰=
∆𝒕
where ∆𝑄 is the amount of charge that passes through the conductor at
any location during the time interval ∆𝑡.
Electric current is measured in coulombs per second; this is given a
special name, the ampere (abbreviated amp or A), after the French physicist André
Ampère (1775–1836). Thus, 1A = 1C/s. Smaller units of current are often used, such
as the milliampere (1mA = 10−3 A) and microampere (1μA = 10−6 A).

Law of conservation of electric charge

Franklin argued that whenever a certain amount of charge is produced

on one object, an equal amount of the opposite type of charge is produced on
another object. The positive and negative are to be treated algebraically, so during
any process, the net change in the amount of charge produced is zero. For example,
when a plastic ruler is rubbed with a paper towel, the plastic acquires a negative
charge and the towel acquires an equal amount of positive charge. The charges are 9
separated, but the sum of the two is zero.
This is an example of a law that is now well established: the law of
conservation of electric charge, which states that the net amount of electric
charge produced in any process is zero; or, said another way, no net electric
charge can be created or destroyed.

Page #8
 Discussion
Example:
A steady current of 2.5 A exists in a wire for 4.0 min. (a) How much
total charge passes by a given point in the circuit during those 4.0 min? (b) How
many electrons would this be?

Solution:

a) We solve for 𝑄

Δ𝑄 = 𝐼Δ𝑡 = 2.5 C/𝑠 (240 𝑠) = 600 C

b) The charge on one electron is 1.6 x 10−19 C, so 600 C woul consist

600 C
= 3.8 x 10−21 electrons
1.6 x 10−19C/electron

Coulumbs Law

We have learned that an electric charge exerts a force of attraction or

repulsion on other electric charges. What factors affect the magnitude of this force?
To find an answer, the French physicist Charles Coulomb (1736–1806) investigated
electric forces in the 1780s. Coulumb’s law was then established and is given by

𝑸𝟏 𝑸𝟐
𝑭=𝒌
𝒓𝟐
where;
F is the magnitude of the force 10
𝑄1 is the magnitude of charge on one object
𝑄1 is the magnitude of charge on the other object
r is the distance between the two objects
k is the proportionality constant and has a given value of
𝒌 = 𝟗. 𝟎 𝒙 𝟏𝟎𝟗 𝐍 ∙ 𝒎𝟐 /𝑪𝟐

Page #9
 Discussion
Coulumb’s law gives the magnitude of the force (electrostatic force) that
either charge exerts on the other. The direction of the electric force is always along
the line joining the two charges. If the two charges have the same sign, the force on
either charge is directed away from the other (they repel each other). If the two
charges have opposite signs, the force on one is directed toward the other (they
attract).

Example:
Determine the magnitude and direction of the electric
force on the electron (𝑄𝑒 = 1.6 x 10−9 C) of a hydrogen atom exerted by the single
proton (𝑄2 = +𝑒) that is the atom’s nucleus. Assume the average distance between
the revolving electron and the proton is 𝑟 = 0.53 x 10−10 m.

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Solution:

𝑄1 𝑄2 (9.0 𝑥 109 N ∙ m2 /C 2 )(1.6 x 10−9 C)(1.6 x 10−9 C)

𝐹=𝑘 2 = −10 2
= 8.2 x 10−8 C
𝑟 (0.53 x 10 m)
The direction of the force on the electron is toward the proton, because
the charges have opposite signs so the force is attractive.

Page #10
 Discussion
CHARGE
The unit of charge is the coulomb (C) where one coulomb is one
ampere second. (1 coulomb = 6.24 × 1018 electrons). The coulomb is defined as the
quantity of electricity which flows past a given point in an electric circuit when a
current of one ampere is maintained for one second. Thus,
Q = It
where,
Q is the charge in coulomb
I is the current in amperes
t is the time in seconds.
Example:
If a current of 5 A flows for 2 minutes, find the quantity of electricity
transferred.
Solution:
Q = It
I = 5 A,
t = 2 × 60 = 120 s
𝑄 = 5𝐴 ∙ 120𝑠 = 𝟔𝟎𝟎𝑪

WORK
The unit of work or energy is the joule (J) where one joule is one
newton meter. The joule is defined as the work done or energy transferred when a
force of one newton is exerted through a distance of one meter in the direction of the 12
force.
Thus work done on a body, in joules,
W = Fs
where
F is the force in newtons
s is the distance in meters moved by the body in the direction of
the force.
Energy is the capacity for doing work.

Page #11
 Discussion
FORCE
The unit of force is the newton (N) where one newton is one kilogram
meter per second squared. The newton is defined as the force which, when
applied to a mass of one kilogram, gives it an acceleration of one meter per second
squared. Thus,
F = ma
where,
m is the mass in kilograms
a is the acceleration in meters per second squared.

Gravitational force, or weight, is mg, where g = 9.81 m/s2 .

Example:
A mass of 5000 g is accelerated at 2 m/s2 by a force. Determine the
force needed.

Solution:
Force = mass × acceleration
=5𝑘𝑔 ∙ 2𝑚/𝑠2 = 10𝑘𝑔𝑚/𝑠2 = 𝟏𝟎𝑵.

Example:
Find the force acting vertically downwards on a mass of 200 g
attached to a wire.

Solution:
Mass = 200 g = 0.2 kg and acceleration due to gravity, g=9.81m/s2.
Force acting downwards or weight = mass × acceleration
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=0.2𝑘𝑔 ∙ 9.81𝑚/𝑠2 = 𝟏. 𝟗𝟔𝟐 𝑵

Page #12
 Evaluation
POWER
The unit of power is the watt (W) where one watt is one joule per
second. Power is defined as the rate of doing work or transferring energy.
Thus,
𝑾
Power, in watts, 𝑷 =
𝒕
where,

W is the work done or energy transferred, in joules

t is the time, in seconds.

𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦, 𝑖𝑛 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠, 𝑾 = 𝑷𝒕

Example:
A portable machine requires a force of 200 N to move it. How much
work is done if the machine is moved 20 m and what average power is utilized if the
movement takes 25 s?
Solution:
Work done = force × distance
= 200𝑁 × 20𝑚 = 𝟒𝟎𝟎𝟎𝑵𝒎 𝒐𝒓 𝟒𝒌𝑱
𝑾
Power = 𝒕
4000𝐽
𝑷= = 𝟏𝟔𝟎𝑱 𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝟏𝟔𝟎𝑾
25𝑠

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Page #13
 Learning Check
1. In what time would a current of 1 A transfer a charge of 30 C?

2. A current of 3 A flows for 5 minutes. What charge is transferred?

3. What force is required to give a mass of 20 kg an acceleration of 30 m/s2?

4.A force of 4N moves an object 200cm in the direction of the force. What amount of work is done?

5.Find the conductance of a resistor with a resistance of 10 ohms.

6. What does “SI units” mean?

7. Name the units used to measure:

a. The quantity of electricity
b. Resistance
c. Conductance

8. Write down the symbols for the following: 15

a. Electric charge
b. Work

9. State which units the following abbreviations refer to:

a. A
b. C
c. J
d. N
e. m

Page #14
 Evaluation
A. MCQ. Answer the following questions by encircling the letter of you choice.

1. The coulomb is a unit of ________.

a) power
b) voltage
c) energy
d) quantity of electricity
2. The ohm is the unit of __________.
a) charge
b) resistance
c) power
d) current
3. The unit of current is the ________.
a) volt
b) coulomb
c) joule
d) ampere
4. A charge of 240 C is transferred in 2 minutes. The current flowing is ______.
a) 120 A
b) 480 A 16

c) 2 A
d) 8 A
5. Two identical tiny spheres have the same electric charge. If their separation is
doubled, the force each exerts on the other will be __________________.
a) half
b) double
c) four times larger
d) one-quarter as large

Page #15
 Evaluation
B. Problem Solving. Solve the following problems systematically. Box your final
answer.

1. A service station charges a battery using a current of 6.7 A for 5.0 h. How much
charge passes through the battery? (5 points)

2. Particles of charge +65, +48, and -95𝜇C are placed in a line. The center one is
0.35 m from each of the others. Calculate the net force on each charge due to
the other two. (10 points)

Performance Task No.1:

They say opposites attract and that couldn't be truer with these fun
activity. Perform this activity and answer the following questions. Film your work.

1. Rub the 2 balloons one by one against your hair, then try moving the balloons
together. Do they want to move closer or do they try to move away?
2. Rub 1 of the balloons back and forth on your hair then slowly pull it away. Ask
someone nearby what they observe or try looking in a mirror. What do you see? 17
3. Put the aluminum can on its side on a table. After rubbing the balloon on your
hair again hold the balloon close to the can. Slowly move the balloon away from
the can. What happens to the can?

Page #16
 Reflection

We live in the era of electronics where it is integrated into a wide variety

of disparate aspects of our lives. These technologies offer convenience in many ways
we can’t imagine. What do you think life would be without their presence? Do you
think it would be as convenient as it is right now?

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Page #17
 References

Bird, J. (2007). Electrical and Electronic Principles of

Technology. Elsevier Ltd
https://images.app.goo.gl/z6vUV5U5rraYsSTK7

Giancoli, D. C. (2016). Physics, Principles with Applications (7th

edition). McGraw-Hill Inc.

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Page #18